The Bellingham Herald from Bellingham, Washington • 1

July 16 1987 A Gannett newspaper Bellingham Washington 35 Cents Poindexter confesses deceit President still under cloud By TERENCE HUNT AP White House correspondent He tried to fool Congress WASHINGTON AP) Former National Security Adviser John Poindexter said today he worked along" to keep information from Congress about the secret Contra supply program to the point of giving Li Col Oliver North a written after he misled lawmakers Testifying for the second straight day at the nationally televised hearings Poindexter said he believed efforts by the National Security Council staff to assist the Contras during a congressional ban were legal because the agency was not covered by the legislation He insisted he made sure that officials did that we could to comply with the letter and the spirit of the iioland as the legislation is known only thing I admit to is withholding information from the Poindexter said in a morning session In which his attorney Richard Bcckler WASHINGTON President Reagan has overcome the worst damage In the Iran-Contra hearings but faces troubling new questions about his grip on the presidency his memory lapses and White House plotting to keep information secret from Congress The administration QlinlvClC breathed a collective sigh of relief Wednesday when John Poindexter former national security adviser corroborated Reagan's account that the president never was told about the diversion of Iran arms-aale money to Contra rebels in Nicaragua That was the central question of the Iran-Contra hearings 'he potential that could (Continued on Page 2A col 4) Police close streets for chemical cleanup Bellingham police set up downtown roadblocks thii morning after a truck hauling pitch" from Whatcom International Shipping Terminal to Intalco Aluminum Corp dumped some of the toxic compound on the roadway The spills were located near Cornwall Avenue and Maple Street and near the intersection of Central and Boeder avenues and Chestnut Street Traffic was diverted around those areas by Bellingham Department of Public Works crews and police as firefighters stood by The chemical which can cause irritation if it comes in contact with the skin or its dust is inhaled was scheduled to be cleaned up by Crosby Overton Inc a firm specializing in toxic waste cleanup Police speculated that a heavy vinyl bag containing the chemical fell from a Puget Sound Freight Lines truck Pencil pitch is used at Intalco in the aluminum smelting process Dave Leslie technical manager Intalco said the chemical technically called tar is a byproduct of steel manufacturing and used as a binder to manufacture carbon electrodes which are used in the aluminum smelting process He said Intalco uses approximately 25000 tons of the chemical annually at its Femdale plant Most of that is delivered by ship to the Port of Bellingham's Whatcom International Shipping Terminal then trucked to Intalco The chemical is not extremely dangerous but federal aafety guidelines list it as a potential cancer-causing substance Leslie said "You'd have to fall and roll in it to cause Leslie said Strong winds whip fires near Spokane SPOKANE AP) Hundreds of firefighters gained the upper hand today over a devastating blaze that destroyed about two dozen homes near Spokane but other wind-whipped fires remained out of control as Eastern Washington experienced its worst outbreak of flames this season Three people suffered minor injuries and residents of 90 to 100 homes south of Spokane were evacuated Some said they did not know the fate of their homes The Spokane County blaze expanded to more than 900 acres overnight but was contained by 0 am However Sheriff Larry Erickson said it probably would be several days before the fire was declared controlled Six Americans die in Salvador crash SAN SALVADOR AP) Six American military personnel were killed today when their helicopter crashed in a rainstorm Just outside San Salvador a UJL Embassy spokesman said A seventh American survived the crash said the spokesman Jacob Gillespie Crew medics and at least one officer were on the helicopter he said but he declined to further identify the victims The Salvsdoran armed forces press office said that four officers and two soldiers were killed (Continued on Page 2A col 4) Higher speed boosted deaths so far OLYMPIA (AP) Officials say statistics on Interstate highway deaths and accidents two months after the rural 65 mph speed limit went Into effect In Washington state are Inconclusive But they don't show the bloodbath critics had predicted In fact In some categories the numbers are fewer than for comparable periods before the increase from 65 to 65 on May 1 said Jack Fischer a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation Deaths on rural freeways where speeds increased were unchanged in May with three deaths this year and three the same month last year in the same areas In June of 1966 there was one death this year none And in areas where the speed limit remained unchanged there were four fatal crashes in May last year one this year last June there were two total crashes this June there was one The department's statistics derived mostly from Washington State Patrol reports don't reflect whether speed was a (Continued on Page 2A col 1) Murder suspect tied to 2nd death By DEAN KAHN of the Herald staff A man arrested In Skagit County Tuesday on suspicion of stabbing a US Customs agent to death in Toronto also Is wanted for allegedly stabbing another man to death In Maine Dean Alton Curtis 24 of Ocala Fla remained in Skagit County Jail today awaiting extradition to face those and possibly other criminal charges He was arrested on Highway 9 near Big Lake after a chase that began at the Blaine border crossing Curtis made an initial courtroom appearance in Skagit County Wednesday morning His next court date was set for next (Continued on Page 12A col 1) (Herald helo by Don Anderson) Customs official Dennis Gillespie queries travelers entering the United States from Canada at the Peace Arch border crossing Wednesday Traffic delays have increased since Expo 86 last year Border crossings jump unexpectedly i When Expo ended officials expected traffic to decrease Alexander said a decision by US Customs in Seattle to hire the 17 border officials 10 for Customs and seven for the US Immigration A Naturalization Service is major Blaine officials have been working for 20 years to help reduce the traffic backups at the border crossings he said Alexander said that although estimates say the average vehicle wait is less than 30 minutes at either the Peace Arch or the Blaine truck crossing waiting in line at the border deters many travelers won't visit the US as many he said People have been driving south at 62 mph and are anticipating traveling at 65 mph after they cross the border Anderson said a little irritating getting stuck (at he said less than 5 minutes There are times when people wait 15 to 30 minutes he said but it is rarity rather than the Rick Alexander vice president of Blaine Chamber of Commerce agreed Wednesday that more traffic was coming through Blaine from Canada Into the United States than during the fair in Vancouver BC last year Because of success Alexander said many tourists are returning to the area this year Also he said Canadian shoppers have been flocking to the United States for ssvings Even though they get only 73 cents on their dollar Canadians save money on products such as gasoline and milk by shopping south of the border Last year Swift and other officials worked to ensure that Interstate 5 be big parking of travelers on their way to and from Expo Anderson said By KRISTI THORNDIKE ot the HereM staff A big Increase in southbound traffic through the Blaine border crossings since Expo 86 has an increased staff of customs and immigration officials scratching their heads Because of a 30 percent increase in Blaine traffic compared to the peak during last summer's fair 17 more customs and immigration officials have been hired to help minimize traffic delays said Andy Anderson Whatcom County representative for Rep A1 Swift D-Bellingham Tom Eberhardt Custom's Blaine area port director said the new employees are on the Job and are expected to work here until about September when the traffic flow should subside Eberhardt said border traffic had been up significantly but he said traffic waits into the United States had been ear of bad chicken may be exaggerated Typhoon batters Korea SEOUL South Korea (AP) Authorities said they feared more than 100 people were killed early today when Typhoon Thelma ravaged the southern coast with floods mudslides and wind-whipped seas The Ministry of Home Affairs said 53 deaths were confirmed and 81 people were missing Officials said it was feared many of the missing were killed Some news reports said up to 150 people were dead or missing Yonhap the Korean news agency reported that 54 people had been killed and 99 others were missing About 110000 rescue workers including military reservists were called out to search for victims and make repairs Rescue boats searched the churning seas for survivors of vessels sunk by the overnight storm The typhoon packing winds of 80 mph sent sheets of heavy rain over South Korea causing rivers to burst their banks and flood villages Tons of dirt and rocks cascaded onto towns trapping victims in their homes Fierce winds hurled objects at passersby killing at least two In the southern city of Pusan processing testified before the House subcommittee on livestock dairy and poultry in June about what could be done to improve meat inspections Consumption of chicken has risen about 10 percent each of the past five years he said and of a kick in the teeth the poultry industry deserves a pat on the back for cleaning up its disagree with most of the facts 60 he said Just that they picked and chose only the bad things They never said anything about all the advances the industry has made in sanitary conditions flock health bik decreasing drug Barnes said another government survey found decreasing salmonella infections In chicken In 1967' of 171 chickens examined the salmonella bacteria per gram averaged 814 Barnes said a count of 100 per gram is potentially harmful to humans In 1979 of 216 birds examined the salmonella 'per gram averaged 25 An incomplete (Continued on Page ISA coLl) By STEVEN JACKSON Gannett Neww Service WASHINGTON The poultry Industry says it's getting bum rap firom reports that contaminated chicken is a major cause of salmonella poisoning Food experts and government officials who have looked into the problem agree About 4 billion chickens are eaten in the United States every year And the 10 years up to 1965 there has never been more than eight or nine salmonella outbreak cases linked to says Bill Stadelman a professor emeritus in food technology at Purdue University tell me what kind of a risk percentage that is" Media reports of salmonella contamination of chicken particularly a segment last spring on CBS' frightened the public and cailed into question the Agriculture Department's Inspection program Most of the reports seised on a 1979 survey published in the 1982 Poultry Sci ence Journal that said 37 percent of raw chickens 5 percent of raw beef and 12 percent of raw pork had salmonella contamination But poultry experts say those numbers applied against the number of actual outbreaks of illness indicate how easy it is to kill the bacteria by normal sanitary and cooking practices The federal Centers for Disease Control says the number of reported salmonella poisoning outbreaks has increased from 1960 to 1964 but those linked to chicken decreased Of the 39 total reported outbreaks in 1980 18 percent were linked to poultry of 55 outbreaks in 1962 11 percent were linked to poultry of the 62 total outbreaks in 1984 12 percent were linked to poultry The 1984 figures were the latest available even more amazing is the numbers of cases are dropping while the consumption of chicken is rising every said John Barnes a veterinarian at the University of North Carolina Barnes a recognized expert on poultry and food Uiium -w-r V- (t.